The rest of the letter can be read at the above link on pg. 75.
In a letter dated 23 January 1669/1670 from the English records President Gary of Surat wrote the following to Lord Arlington, pg. 140:
“The archrebel Sevagee is againe engaged in armes against Orangsha, who, out of a blinde zeale for reformation, hath demolished many of the Gentues temples and forceth many to turne Musslemins.”
The following is a scan of page 119 from a book titled “English records on Shivaji (1659-1682)” published in 1931:
The letter of interest dated “30th November 1667” at the top of the scanned page reads thus:
“Sevagee, deeply resenting this rigour, invaded the precincts of Bardese, not farre distant from Goa, and there cutt off the heads of four Padres that refused to turne Moretto’s [Marathas-Hindus] of his owne pereuasion, they having councelled the destruction of all that were not opinionated as themselves; which so terrifyed the Vice Rey that he was forced to revoke his fierce and severe edict. He [Shivaji] burnt and destroyed all the country, and carried away 150 lack of pagodaes. [E. F. India 1665-1667 p. 286]”
But do note the fact that they were given the chance of becoming Hindus and it was only upon their refusal that they were beheaded.
To understand this act of Shivaji one must know the background which is summarized thus in a couple of books on Maratha history:
“In 1667 ” he cut off the heads of four padres ! that refused to turn Marathas of his own persuasion, they having counselled the destruction of all that were opinionated as themselves; which so terrified the Viceroy that he was forced to revoke his fierce and severe edict. Shivaji burnt and destroyed all the country, and carried away 150 lack of pagodas/ 9 Thus he was not only ready to take back apostates, but even persons of other religions were welcome into Hinduism. (4) Shivaji issued a proclamation to the Hindus of Goa in 1668. An extract from it will reveal the intensity of his religious and patriotic sentiments and the means adopted by him to prevent conversion.Here is a small extract from the long document. ” Slaughter of the most revered cows by Yavanas and Mlechhas, destruction of our Hindu temples, disrespect of our all-honoured and all-pervading religion shown by these low people, violation of the most sacred chastity of our sisters and mothers brought about by these villains such horrible things happen constantly. . Does it become us who call ourselves Kshatriyas to silently see these acts like cowards, and to turn a deaf ear to them ? Alas ! Alas ! It is a most shameful thing that instead of striving restlessly till death for the uplift of our country which should be dear to us like our parents, we should be whiling away our time foolishly, tactlessly and indifferently even in the critical times like the present. What more deplorable thing can there be than the fact that we, with our own hands, should destroy our houses, our gods, our religion and culture by adopting a fawning attitude towards the Mlechhas, only for the sake of a little livelihood ? ” *
(5) Here is some English evidence on the religious policy of Shivaji towards the Portuguese. Both the parties used to ” daily quarrel, the cheifest cause of his hatred to them being for forcing orphans of his caste to turn Roman Catholics.”
(6) The Captain of Bassien turned against the Jesuits for bringing troubles on the state by their proselytizing zeal, and even went to the length of burning their houses. Thus it is clear that a very great pressure was brought by Shivaji on the Portuguese government for stopping conversion.*”
“The Portuguese also ( though alone of all Western peoples who had come to India ) often resorted to religious oppression through fanaticism, like Aurangjeb, and we find from a Goa letter1, dated 30th November 1667, that the then Governor of Goa had ordered the expulsion of inhabitants who did not belong to the Roman Catholic faith and that four Padres had even advised that the Hindus should be massacred. Shivaji in his invasion of Bardesh caught hold of these Padres and on their refusing to become Hindus executed them. The Governor of Goa2 thereupon found it necessary to cancel his order.”
The full English factory letter can be seen in “The English factories in India, 1665-1667: Volume 12” by Sir William Foster, pg. 286.
There are many “eminent (communist) historians” in India who to this day try to reduce Shivaji to one of those local rebels whose only aim was plunder and nothing else because it disturbs their narrative of peaceful Islamic and Christian rule in India. A mere plunderer would never go to the lengths Shivaji went to put an end to forcible conversions of Hindus at the hands of Christians and Muslims.
A couple of other well known actions of Shivaji are relevant here, these may not be widely known outside Maharashtra so I will refer to them here. Netaji Palkar one of Shivaji’s ablest commanders (sometimes referred to as the second Shivaji) was captured and forcibly converted by Aurangzeb who sent him Northwest to suppress the rebellious Pathans where he spent many years, then he was sent to the Deccan again as part of a Mughal army to suppress Shivaji. Needless to say Netaji never forget his true loyalties and escaped as soon as he could and joined Shivaji, who upon his wish reconverted him and made sure he was admitted back honorably among the Hindus. Another well known incident is that of Balaji Nimbalkar his brother-in-law through his first wife Sai Bai who was forcibly converted to Islam by the Bijapuri Sultanate, at the personal initiative of Mata Jijabai and Shivaji he was also reconverted and to show his full acceptance back into Hindu society Shivaji married one of his own daughters to the son of Balaji.
It is for this reason that Kaviraj Bhushan a contemporary poet from Bundelkhand said this of Shivaji in Braj Bhasha (not in Marathi as today’s Marathi chauvunists like Raj Thackeray who use Shivaji’s name would want):
“देवल गिरावते फिरावते निसान अली ऐसे डूबे राव राने सबी गये लबकी
गौरागनपति आप औरन को देत ताप आप के मकान सब मारि गये दबकी
पीरा पयगम्बरा दिगम्बरा दिखाई देत सिद्ध की सिधाई गई रही बात रबकी
कासिहू ते कला जाती मथुरा मसीद होती सिवाजी न होतो तौ सुनति होत सबकी
सांच को न मानै देवीदेवता न जानै अरु ऐसी उर आनै मैं कहत बात जबकी
और पातसाहन के हुती चाह हिन्दुन की अकबर साहजहां कहै साखि तबकी
बब्बर के तिब्बर हुमायूं हद्द बान्धि गये दो मैं एक करीना कुरान बेद ढबकी
कासिहू की कला जाती मथुरा मसीद होती सिवाजी न होतो तौ सुनति होत सबकी
कुम्भकर्न असुर औतारी अवरंगज़ेब कीन्ही कत्ल मथुरा दोहाई फेरी रबकी
खोदि डारे देवी देव सहर मोहल्ला बांके लाखन तुरुक कीन्हे छूट गई तबकी
भूषण भनत भाग्यो कासीपति बिस्वनाथ और कौन गिनती मै भूली गति भव की
चारौ वर्ण धर्म छोडि कलमा नेवाज पढि सिवाजी न होतो तौ सुनति होत सबकी
When temples were demolished by those marching under nishAn-i-alI [1], rAvals-rANA-s had been tamed and every Hindu intimidated
When foresaken by gaura-gaNapatau themselves, the Hindus becoming timid were afraid even to come out from their homes
When renouncing their siddhi, siddha-s and digambara-s were happy to become pIra and paigambara, and talk was heard only of ‘raba’
kAshI was losing its kalA, mathurA becoming a masjid, and everyone was about to lose his foreskin, had shivAjI not been born!
All hearts were deluded, and faith in deities evaporated, such were the days that I speak of
Akbar the earlier pAtisAh had shown regard for the Hindus, even shAhajahAn will bear witness to it
The grandson of bAbur[2], and also humAyUn, had follwed the policy of not allowing the creed of Qoran to consume up the sacred religion of the veda-s
But now? kAshI was losing its kalA, mathurA becoming a masjid, and all were about to lose their foreskin, had shivAjI not happened!
Awrangzib, the very devil incarnated, the perpetrator of the genocide of mathurA in name of ‘Rab’
When he was uprooting abodes of devI-s and deva-s, and converting millions upon millions to mahomedanism across the cities and mohalla-s, have you forgotten that day?
bhUShana had thought that even mahAdeva, the Lord of kAshI, had fled away renouncing the world to its own, counts who else!
All four varNa-s were about to renounce dharma to read kalamA and do namAz and everyone was ready to lose his foreskin, had shivAjI not happened right then, that is!
Notes:
[1]nishAn-i-alI, also known as the nishAn-i-haydar, is today the highest award of military honour in terrorist country.
[2]bhUShaNa uses the epithet ‘babbara ke tibbara’, we think for Akbar. ‘tibbar’ can be from trivara, and might be used for ‘third one’, ‘third time’, ‘third generation’, or grandson.
In Roman script the famous line of Bhushan reads: kAshI kI kalA jAtI mathura masId hoti sivAjI na hoto tau sunnati hota sabakI.
To these communist “historians” and assorted buffoons the following words of the late Shri Sita Ram Goel apply well:
“Shivaji first. It is sheer mischief to suggest that Shivaji is glorified in Maharashtra alone. The fortunate fact is that he is honoured by every Hindu worth his name, wherever that Hindu may reside in the length and breadth of India. Rabindranath Tagore, who was not a Maharashtrian, paid his homage to Shivaji in a long poem pulsating with the great poet’s image of a Hindu hero. Many more poems and dramas and novels about Shivaji’s chivalry and heroism are to be found in all Indian languages. It is, therefore, presumptuous on the part of some very small people to lay down that Shivaji shall not be overglorified. The fact is that he cannot be overglorified, such is the majesty of his character and role. The historian who will do full justice to the personality of Shivaji as well as to his role in Indian history is yet to be born.Some puny politicians pretending to be historians are trying to cut Shivaji to their own size. They are like street urchins spitting at the sun.”
“I demand for the third time, which I declare shall be the last, the chauth or the quarter part of the king’s revenue under your Government. As your Emperor has forced me to keep an army for the defence of my people and country, that army must be paid by his subjects. If you do not send the money speedily, then make ready a large house for me, for I shall go and sit down there and receive the revenue and custom duties, as there is none now to stop my passage.”
Source: Shivaji and his times by Jadunath Sarkar, pg. 220
The following is an alleged letter sent by Banda during his struggle against the Mughals:
J.N. Sarkar’s transcripts of the Jaipur Kapaddwara records contain a letter that may be from Banda to Jai Singh of Amber. The letter begins with Banda’s characteristic salutation ‘Fateh darshan and expresses the writer’s surprise at Jai Singh s having ‘forsaken Hindu dharma, especially since ‘Akal Purakh has commanded that the time of the Turks has reached its end and it is the turn of the Hindus.’ The letter states that ‘the foundation of dharma must be strengthened’ and asks Jai Singh to join the writer in marching on Delhi ‘to kill the oppressive Turks.’ It ends by stating that ‘I do not need sovereignty (shahi) but have been sent by Akal Purakh to strengthen the foundations of dharma (National Library, Calcutta, Sarkar transcripts, notebook 105, p. 2). The exact nature of the letter is problematic, especially as the original is not listed in the latest catalogue of the Kapaddwara collection (Bahura and Singh 1988). The grammar and diction are occasionally irregular, and the transcription bears the name “Guru Gobind’ at the bottom, although it is unclear whether the words are an addition by Sarkar or by a Jaipur scribe or record-keeper. It is of course also possible that the letter represents a transcript of a forged letter sent to Jai Singh in the name of Banda.
Source: Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity by Christopher Shackle, Gurharpal Singh and Arvind-pal Singh Mandair. Curzon Press, Richmond, Surrey, pg’s 44-45.
The following is an English translation of the earliest available Powada known as “Afzal Khancha Vadh”. Adyandas/Agindas the author who wrote the Powada was comissioned by Veeramata Jijabai herself to commemorate the victory over Afzal Khan (here referred to as Abdul Khan by the Agindas). So this Powada was written within Dharmayodha Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj’s lifetime and describes Shivaji slaying Afzal Khan, which happened in 1659. It should also be noted that Veeramata Jijabai bore a long standing grudge against Afzal Khan for his treacherous murder of her elder son Sambhaji (not to be confused with Shivaji’s elder son) and Shivaji’s older brother. I have highlighted those parts that I thought were important in bold font.
HAIL in all faith in Shiwa,
God over gods supreme!
The iron age grows golden,
His eyes propitious beam,
Whenas the royal ensigns
And steadfast faith afford
Witness to Samb(1) incarnate
In Shiwaji our lord.
Drink from the royal fountain,
Whose living streams o’erflow;
Come, fellows, bathe within it,
And Shiwa’s promise know.
Rajghur(2), the royal castle,
The fort benam’d of gore,
And that stronghold which first the flag
Of victory proudly bore,
Fair Jowlee’s crown of palm-leaves,
High soaring into heaven,
And Mundun’s clust’ring palaces
The faithful god hath given;
Sonashila, and Pertapghur,
With Rajghur’s hidden gold,
The homes of ancient deities,
Gray forts and bastions old,
All, from a god propitious,
Holds Shiwaji the king;
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
Oh hearken! bards and princes,
Young pillars of the state;
The conqu’ring viles of Shiwaji,
And wisdom I relate;
How the dark world of mountains,
With every fortress grim
That lowers above their valleys,
Were seiz’d and rul’d by him.
The dying eyes of Chandra(3)
beheld the lofty wall
Of Jowlee, then of Prabalghur,
And strong Panala fall;
The huge and rocky castle
which all the whirlwhinds sweep;
Ghosala, and the hamlets
By Matunghur that sleep;
The lovely homes that nestle
Above the Konkan green,
Like the sacred lotus swimming
On the water clear and sheen;
My song shall not forget you,
Nor you, the peasant’s home,
Fair lowlands of the Konkan,
To whose twelve harbours(4) come
The laden keels of nations;
Nor all the Deccan wide,
From Indapur to those old fanes
Where Moslem saints abide;
Piecemeal by town and hamlet,
They yielded to the king;
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
When Kallian and Bhewndi
Were given to the sword,
The cry went up to Beejapore,
And Adil Shah its lord.
Fierce was the monarch’s anger,
Like flame his summows flew
To the valiant Moslem nobles,
And every good Hindu;
From all his wide dominions
They throng’d to the durbar;
But Abdul Khan the mighty
Seiz’d the betel leaf of war.
A sword that gleam’d like lightning,
A stately battle steed,
Were the grateful monarch’s guerdon
To the servant of his need.
Seven hundred rocket camels
Their eager riders mount;
The horse were fourteen thousand,
The footmen who could count?
Forth march’d they, but near Torweh(5)
Whene’er the vanguard drew,
Down fell the royal standard
That o’er the cannon flew;
‘Alas! an evil omen,’
Said Krishnaji, ‘we bring.’
Hearken, Maratha princes,
The raja’s state I sing.
To Tooljapore and Punderpore
Slow roll’d host along;
There to the gods most holy
They wrought grievous wrong;
Bhowani’s sacred image
They levell’d with the dust,
And into Bhiwra’s(6) shudd’ring depths
Great Vitobha they thrust.
Then rais’d the Khan a costly shrine,
That men again might pray;
The outrag’d gods received it,
And his sins were wash’d away.
Slow rolled the Mogul army
Round Pali’s ancient shrine,
Then Khundoba put forth his might,
And show’d an awful sign;
The quaking Moslem turn’d them,
And cried a dreadful cry,
And full two leagues in furious rout
Like hunted deer they fly;
Then straight they build a lamp tower,
That night may be as day;
The god appeas’d receiv’d it,
And their sin was wash’d away.
Towards Awoond’s sacred towers
The Moslem host aspire,
There the great goddess Yemai
Display’d a portent dire;
A holy feast the Khan proclaim’d,
And call’d the priests to pray;
The goddess check’d her fury,
And his sin was wash’d away.
Slow rolling, widely wasting,
The Mogul army went,
Trouble and woe to Sambhu
When the Khana pitch’d his tent!
At last at Wye he halted,
Which once his sway had known;
And Krishnaji his letters bore
To the great raja’s throne.
The Brahman stood before him;
‘To Shiwaji be health!
‘Receive the Khan, and peace be thine,
‘And joy, and mighty wealth.’
‘What are his gifts?’ the raja said;
‘Were we at peace, I vow,
‘With four-and-forty castles strong
‘The Khan I would endow;
‘In the fair halls of Jowli
‘A stately pageant awaits;
‘There will I bide the Khan’s approach,
‘And greet him at my gates.’
He touch’d the holy Brahman’s feet,
Dismissing him, and sent With him the Mhaldar (Mace-Bearer) Jiwaji
To seek the Abdullya’s(7) tent.
With aspect blunt he greets him,
As one untaught to fear;
‘If not to bow before our gods,
‘Why are thy horsemen here?’
No more obeisance paid he,
But turn’d and went his way;
And the furious Khan upstarted,
And bade his host array.
Straight to Rantondi’s fortress
His haughty troops he led,
And fourteen days around it
The baffled host was spread.
The raja rous’d his chieftains,
They came from far and near,
With many a Mawul swordsman,
And many a horse and spear;
In council close the leaders
Were gather’d round the king.
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
‘Brothers and friends,’ quoth Shiwaji,
‘No stripling is our foe;
‘The holy gods themselves are aw’d
‘When Abdul’s name they know;
‘Say, shall we hail him as a guest,
‘Or greet him with our sword?’
‘The captain of the fort is here,
Give counsel to your lord.’
‘O Shiwba!’ the Gaikwar cried,
‘The coming feast is sweet;
‘But sword and spear and helm and mail
‘For such a guest are meet.’
The counsel pleas’d him; they arm him,
And round his waist they take,
The one-edged sword that coils and bites(8)
Like the deadly hooded snake;
The two-edg’d glaiwe by Jiwaji,
The Mhaldar stout, was borne,
And the curv’d steel of the tiger claws
On the raja’s hand was worn.
O’er his snowy vest of cotton
His robe imperial flow’d:
He sought his mother’s blessing,
She met him on his road;
In a palki(9) Jeeja met him,
And bless’d the goodly king.
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
‘If in thy lot, Shiwba,
‘Or woe or bale be writ,
‘On me let all the evil fall,
‘Towards me I conjure it.’
Thus pray’d his mother Jeeja,
‘Be prosperous and brave,
‘I give thee here the betel,
‘Remember Mahadev.’
She spoke, low bow’d the raja,
And filial reverence paid;
‘O mother! would the Dewan’s(10) hand
‘Could on my head be laid;
‘Wide spread my lands and rich my halls,
‘But where is he – my sire?’
‘Son, meditate thy purpose high,
‘And fulfill thy soul with fire.
‘The blood of Sambhaji(11) doth cry,
‘His wrong is unredress’d.’
‘Mother I go; but tell my sire,
‘I thought of him, and bless’d’
He fill’d his forts with warriors true,
And till he came agen,
He gave his power to Nettaji,
With full five hundred men;
And with him Umaji was join’d
The royal seat to fill,
While Tookya’s eager troops were drawn
Around Rantondi hill.
Then forth to Jowli’s audience halls
The prudent raja far’d.
And there, to greet the Khan’s approach,
A pageant great prepar’d.
Through every spacious chamber
The silken sheets were spread,
Gay with their various borders
Of plumage blue and red;
On carv’d and painted pillars
Rich wreaths of coral hung,
Garlands of pearls and rubies rare
From every cornice swung.
Bright as the glorious Sun in heaven,
Their glow the lamps enhanc’d,
And like the tall and graceful crane,
The fountains leap’d and danc’d.
A canopy of costly cloth
And curtains fine enfold,
Gleaming with many a diamond,
The raja’s throne of gold.
Four stalwart Moslem marching
Their monarch’s missive bring.
Hearken, Maratha princes,
Tha raja’s state I sing.
For them no courtly greeting,
No prayer, or gift, or bribe;
Rough, in the first and second courts,
The speech of guard and scribe.
But better far than greeting,
In the third court they found
A troop of lovely dancers
Approach them with a bound.
Rapt were the gazing Moslem,
And Abdul laughed aloud; When Shiwaji and Jiwaji
Enter’d amid the crowd.
‘First to my guardian Mahadev,
To Shahji next, my sire,
‘Then doth to the world’s great mother
‘My reverence due require;
‘Then to the gallant free men
‘Who guards my forts in mail;
‘And last to thee, Abdullya;
‘I bow, and bid thee hail.’
Such was the raja’s greeting,
And lofty the reply;
‘Whence did a peasant’s son achieve
‘To raise these walls so high?
‘And whence the wealth that far outshines
‘The courts of Beejapore?’
‘Hence to thy wells and gardens,
The royal rents restore.’ ‘Abate thy pride,’ said Shivaji
‘The gods alone I fear;
‘They rule the fates that govern
‘All issues far and near;
‘For thee-thy birth and rank I know;
Thus far the undaunted king.
Hearken, Maratha princes
His glorious state I sing.
‘Back to thy father’s oven!
Back to thy mother’s store!
‘Whose toothsome sweetmeats oft delight
‘The boys of Beejapore
‘Shall rajas brook the insult
‘Of thee-the baker’s son?’
He look’d upon Abdulla,
And knew his work was done.
The Moslem leap’d upon him,
His grasp was fierce and fell,
And how he plied the dagger
The dinted mail might tell.
But Shiwaji the raja
In answer made him feel
The twin sting of the scorpion,(12)
The deadly claws of steel.
His entrails torn and bloody
Gap’d through the horrid wound;
But Abdul was a warrior bold,
And faltr’d not nor soown’d.
He loos’d his girdle deftly,
Uncoil’d the sword below,
And dealt upon the raja’s head
A fierce and furious blow.
It cleft the emroider’d turban,
And twisted chains foruteen,
And the raja felt, as steed the spur,
The sword edge sharp and keen.
His blade leap’d out and wrapp’d the Khan,
Like the sacred thread to view,
Between the neck and shoulder
It struck, and clove him through.
He fell, down fell the Moslem
While steadfast stood the king.
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
Up leap’d the Syud Bundoo,
And rais’d his sword in haste;
But the wary raja turn’d it,
And cleft him to the waist.
Then forward stepp’d the Brahman,
Seeing the Syud die;
‘Turn back, turn back,’ cried Shiwaji,
‘Turn back, and haste to fly.
‘I may not smite a Brahman,
‘Lest the curse of God should sound.’
The raja laugh’d, and cast his sword
Down clatt’ring to the ground.
But Jiwaji the Mhaldar
His broad spear raised on high,
And, leaping at the Brahman,
He whirl’d, and made it fly;
It met him in the navel,
The steel of Burhanpore,
Through the backbone it pierc’d him,
He fell and spoke no more;
Twice did he call on Shiwa
And then his breath was gone;
‘Forward!’ exclaimed young Kowji,(13)
‘The raja’s gallant son;
‘Have at the palki-bearers,
‘That not a man remain,’
And with his sword he dash’d among
The trembling menial train.
They dropped the stately palki,
And wild with wounds they fled;
He bore it to Bhowani,
Most like a conqu’ring king.
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
To her, the world’s great mother,
In Pertapghur that dwelt,
And bore him through victorious,
He offer’d it and knelt;
‘Receive my gift, O mother,
‘This goat(14) of goodly frame;
‘His teeth are as the teeth of men,
‘And Abdul is his name.’
Then was the signal given,
The raja’s cannon spoke;
Their twelvefold voice the people heard
And saw the whirling smoke.
Out dash’d the rapid footmen,
With weapons bare to kill,
They followed the gallant Trimukh,
And crown’d the Rantondi hill;
Down went the Moslem standards,
As on the swordsmen dash,
The elephants that bore them
Fell with an echoing clash.
The Moguls fear’d and turn’d them
And they fled with all their force,
And Tookya clos’d and captur’d
Full sixty Arab horse.
Back march’d the host victorious,
Hanmunta at their head,
And to Panhala’s fortress
By Shiwaji were led;
There the strong walls were strengthen’d
And arm’d on every side,
And the raging hosts of Beejapore
Victoriously defied.
The noise of war is over,
The songs of victory sound,
The lady Jeeja calls the chiefs,
The loyal chiefs around;
They throng the halls of Jowli,
The minstrels sing and play,
And, master of all melodies,
Agrindas(15) gains the day.
With the sweet Kadaka rhythm
A village rich he won,
For ever free from tax or fee
From father unto son;
Two golden bracelets deck’d him,
Gifts from the goodly king.
Hearken, Maratha princes,
His glorious state I sing.
Notes
(1) – SAMB is Shiwa, i.e., one with Amba; स sa, with, and Amba, अंबा, the wife of Shiwa. Shive gave half his body to his wife, who is called Devi, Amba, Bhowani, Amba Bhowani, and a score of other names. Shiwaji was and is believed by Marathas to have been an incarnation of Shiwa.
(2) – Rajghur, not to be confused with Raighur, is a small hill fort in the Bhore state. Shiwaji took it when he was only twenty years old, and made it his headquarters or capital, till he moved to Raighur.
(3) – The murder of Chandradevrao More, raja of Jowli, was one of Shiwaji’s worst actions. He held the Ghat Matha or hilly tracts of Western Deccan under the king of Beejapore from the Krishna to the Warna. As he would not join Shiwaji, the latter compassed his assasination by emisarries, who pretended to wish to negotiate a marriage between Shiwaji and Chandrarao’s daughter. Shiwaji had assembled his troops in the wild hills and jungles, and, on hearing of the murder, attacked and took Jowli and subdued the whole of Chandrarao’s dominions.
(4) – The ‘twelve harbours’ of the Konkan are Alibag, Revdanda, Bankot, Harnai, Dabhol, Jaygad, Ratnagiri, Jaytapure, Vijaydroog, Devgad, Malwan, Vingorla.
(5) – Torweh is a suburb of Beejapore.
(6) – Bhivra, the Bheema.
(7) – This is a familiar form of Abdulla, intended by the writer to be contemptuous.
(8) – The sword called Firangi is spoken of as having been twisted round the waist in the copy of the poem from which the translation is taken, and which differs in some details from that which was published by Mr. Shaligram and myself in 1891.
(9) – It was a good omen to meet the raja in a palki. The sight (darshana) of a horse, elephant, or a palki at the time of starting on an expedition is considered very auspicious (vide Dharma Sindh, p. 516).
(10) – ‘The Diwan’ means Shahji, Shiwaji’s father. He seized the regency of the Nizam Shahi dominions in 1634, and seems to have kept the title of Diwan ever since.
(11) – Sumbhaji was Shiwaji’s elder brother. He was killed in the Carnatic in 1653 in an expedition against the killedar of Kanikgeeree.
(12) – The bicchu, or scorpion, is a double-bladed dagger, two curved blades about half an inch apart, and parallel to each other, projecting from the same handle.
(13) – The copy from which the translation is taken calls Kowji the son of Shiwaji; the published copy says correctly Sambhaji, the son of Kowji. He was a devoted Maratha follower of Shiwaji, who, with Ragoo Bullal, was principally instrumental in the assassination of Chandrarao More.
(14) – The usual offering to Bhawani was a goat or a buffalo.
(15) – This is an evident corruption of Adnyandas (अज्ञानदास), which is the name given in the published copy of the original. It was Agrindas in the copy from which the translation was made, and which was obtained some years before the other.
Source: Ballads of Marathas By Acworth Harry Arbuthnot, pgs. 1-13 & pgs. 119-120.
Some author’s have condemned Shivaji for his alleged treachery in killing Afzal Khan (e.g. Nehru in his “Glimpses of World History”) but seem to conveniently ignore or forget a few facts which I will point out here:
1) As the powada and other contemporary sources make it clear, Afzal Khan and his army had desecrated several important Hindu shrines including Tuljapur Bhavani.
2) They laid waste to the countryside (briefly referred to here in the Powada) and committed many atrocities against Hindu civilians according to other contemporary sources.
3) Afzal Khan was personally responsible for the treacherous murder of Shivaji’s elder brother Sambhaji, this incident is glossed over. Sambhaji saw the remnants of past Hindu glory in Kanakagiri and with a view towards establishing an independent Hindu kingdom like his younger brother, removed the Muslim officials and appointed his Hindu ministers instead. Abba Khan the local Muslim Adil Shahi warlord was furious about this and a war broke out. Adil Shah then sent Afzal to settle the matter, it must be noted that Sambhaji defeated Afzal in a battle earlier in Bangalore and for this Afzal bore a grudge against Sambhaji. Afzal Khan laid a cunning plan. He sent a message to Sambhaji that he would help him against Abba Khan and asked the former to storm the defences of Abba. Sambhaji vigorously attacked and was in the thick of battle when the detachment of Afzal Khan which had supposedly come to help turned against him and surrounded him. He tried to cut his way out, but received several shots and was killed. Thus at the age of 25, Sambhaji, the poorly known brother of Shivaji died in front of Kanakagiri.
4) In 1637 Randulla Khan was sent by Adil Shah to invade the South to crush the remnants of the Vijayanagara empire which were still holding out. They were completely victorious and took a lot of wealth and Hindu women after committing many atrocities, for the second invasion Randulla sent Afzal to destroy Kasturiranga, the prince of Shira. Kasturiranga kept up valiant resistance for a while but his supplies ran out and he agreed to negotiate, but when he came to meet Afzal Khan the latter treacherously stabbed him to death.
5) All the Maratha sources are unanimous in stating that it was Afzal Khan who made the first strike in his meeting with Shivaji.
Keeping these facts in mind it must be said that Shivaji was completely justified in killing Afzal and even if he was the one who struck first, it would be justified considering Afzal’s treatment of Hindus and his treacherous murders of Sambhaji and Kasturiranga. Sri Krishna himself told Arjuna to shoot Karna while the latter was on the ground trying to get his chariot wheel out of the earth by pointing out Karna’s earlier behavior towards Draupadi and his role in the killing of Abhimanyu.
The following is from the book titled “Creative pasts: historical memory and identity in western India, 1700-1960” By Prachi Deshpande, pg’s 57-60:
“The ballad begins with Jijabai wistfully wishing that the Sinhagad fort were back in the Marathas’ control. She summons Shivaji from Rajgad and bids him to play a game with her. After Jijabai wins, he begs her to ask something of him. She asks for Sinhagad, her favorite fort.
Facing Poona, beside Jejuri
Stands the fort of Sinhagad
Conquer it for me
I will pray for your kingdom. (33)
When Shivaji entrusts Tanaji with the task of recapturing the fort from the Mughals, Tanaji is busy with his son’s wedding preparations.
Turmeric laid out for the fifth day, the wedding set for the sixth
His child’s wedding all set up, and here come the orders for Sinhagad
Rayba’s wedding was halted, Tanaji began rallying his chiefs
The eighty-year-old Shelarmama warned him, my dear Subedar Tanaji
Those who go on a Sinhagad campaign rarely come back (40-41)
Unfazed, Tanaji continues to prepare for the assault. As he is about to leave, his son stops him in fear, and Tanaji assures him of his return. At the capital, Raigad, before the campaign, Jijabai blesses Tanaji with wealth and success, and he says to Shivaji:
I leave now for Sinhagad, please take care of Rayba
If I return I will perform his wedding, if I don’t
You should do it for me and give him my ancestral lands…
Uphold the Malusare’s lands and honor. (42)
At Sinhagad, Tanaji uses the ghorpad or mountain lizard with its tough claws to scale the fort, as was the practice, but this time it is unsuccessful. Enraged, he declares:
Twenty-seven forts I have taken
Never has the ghorpad failed me
But I am a Maratha’s son
And I do not fear death. (49)
Finally, he wins the fort back for Marathas, but dies fighting. Shivaji, shattered by his death, personally escorts Tanaji’s body back to his village and consoles his son:
“Don’t fear, my son, Shivaji himself has died
Henceforth I will be your Tanaji subedar.” (55)
The ballad then describes how Shivaji fulfills Tanaji’s last wish by performing Rayba’s wedding himself and installing him in his father’s office, “upholding the Malusare lands and honor.” It ends with the declaration
Brave men should listen to this powada of a brave man!
Both the singer and listener will acquire great merit.
Tanaji appears in the powada as an ordinary man with family attachments and duties, but also a brave and loyal general who gave his life for the Maratha cause. His life and this episode were a template for the ideal warrior of the Maratha armies, and a vehicle for ensuring the peasant masses’ greater identification with the objectives of those armies. These ordinary warrior-peasants and their concerns also figure prominently in the song. Before heading out to Rajgad, Tanaji begins assembling a force of 12,000 men, who are armed only with “sticks and sickles stuck at their waists.” Tanaji doles out cash to properly fit them out, but many of them still worry about whether the local shepherd who made warm cloaks for them will harass their wives when they are away. At Rajgad fort, the soldiers greedily devour an enormous meal Jijabai lays out for them before the campaign.
Twelve thousand cups and twelve thousand saucers
Twelve thousand plates and a freshly cooked meal
Tanaji saw it all and was overwhelmed
Eighteen courses, eighteen vegetables, everyone was served at once
Half of them stood up and began to rush
One asked for bread, another for sweets
One asked for vegetables, the other for lentils
With all this rush, the mother Jijabai was exhausted. (42-43)
Even though we may safely assume that Jijabai did not personally serve the entire army, she appears here as a loving and concerned mother not just to Shivaji but also to the wider Maratha population. As a seventeenth-century recruitment poster, this description of the soldiers’ good treatment works very well. Jijabai is prominent in a number of powadas and is as melodramatic in her worry for her son’s safety as she is unwavering in her confidence in his project. Almost a human avatar of the Bhavani encountered in bakhars, she could simultaneously symbolize the honorable purpose behind Shivaji’s activities and underscores his humanity and ordinariness to the people who heard the ballad. Shivaji certainly appears as the ideal ruler, who cares for his warriors and their families and most importantly, keeps his word. The powada projects him quiet literally as a leader to die for, but he is simultaneously rendered human and accessible; he is, ultimately, a loving son who plays games with his mother and is eager to do her bidding.”
The following account is from the Akbar-náma, of Shaikh Abú-l Fazl:
Destruction of Hímú’s family.—Alwar and Ajmír.
(See Vol. V. p. 253.)
[Text, vol. ii. p. 56.] Akbar was now informed that Hájí Khán, a ghulám of Sher Khán Afghán [Sher Sháh], a brave and able general, was setting up pretensions to rule in Alwar, and that Hímú’s father and wife, and all his property and wealth, were in that country. So the Emperor sent Násiru-l Mulk [Pír Muhammad Sarwání] with a select force to attack him. Hájí Khán, in dread of the Imperial army, fled before it arrived. Alwar and all the territory of Mewát thus came into the Imperial power. The fugitives proceeded to Dewatí-májárí, a strong place, which was Hímú’s family home. Much resistance and fighting followed. Hímú’s father was taken alive, and brought before Násiru-l Mulk, who tried to convert him to the faith; but the old man said, “For eighty years I have worshipped God in the way of my own religion; how can I now forsake my faith? Shall I, through fear of death, embrace your religion without understanding it?” Mauláná Pír Muhammad treated his question as unheard, but gave him an answer with the tongue of the sword. He then returned with much spoil and fifty elephants to the Emperor.
The following is the letter found on the body of Vanchinathan Iyer who committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth after he assassinated a British official named Robert William d’Escourt Ashe at Tirunelveli railway station on June 17, 1911:
The mlechas of England having captured our country, tread over the sanathana dharma of the Hindus and destroy them. Every Indian is trying to drive out the English and get swarajyam and restore sanathana dharma. Our Raman, Sivaji, Krishnan, Guru Govindan, Arjuna ruled our land protecting all dharmas and in this land they are making arrangements to crown George V, a mlecha, and one who eats the flesh of cows. Three thousand Madrasees have taken a vow to kill George V as soon as he lands in our country. In order to make others know our intention, I who am the least in the company, have done this deed this day. This is what everyone in Hindustan should consider it as his duty.
dharmayuddha 